Before September 1 rolled around Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier offensive tackle Matt James had already picked up three verbal offers. Now that the contact period has begun that list has grown significantly.

The coaches from Cincinnati, Illinois and Tennessee decided to offer James very early in the recruiting process. It didn't take long for several other schools to deem the 6-foot-8, 280 pound lineman worth of an offer.

"I've picked up more offers since September 1," James confirmed. "I recently got offered by Stanford, Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana and Akron. Of course, Tennessee, Illinois and Cincinnati had offered.

"I'm still looking around at this point. I wouldn't say I have any favorites, but I really like OSU and Tennessee.

"With Ohio State I just like the location a lot. It's close to home and my dad's uncle played up there. They've got a pretty good program. They're a top ten team just about every year.

"With Tennessee, my dad's cousin played for them. In terms of location it's pretty close. I saw the campus this summer. It's in the SEC, too."

Thus far St. Xavier is 3-2 on the year. While James has not ruled out the possibility of unofficial visits during the fall he said it depends on how his own season progresses.